Cigars out after that Carabao Cup Final win over Chelsea last week? Forget it.

Pep Guardiola’s men were back in for training on Sunday morning, just hours after arriving home from their 1-0 win in the south coast. Liverpool are far too formidable an adversary to rest on their laurels, despite Sunday's dropped points at Everton .

The stats here at Bournemouth told their own story — 82 per cent possession, 14 corners, 23 shots at goal.

Yes, Artur Boruc committed the cardinal sin of letting Riyad Mahrez beat him at his near post. But City made their own luck – simply because they just don’t do patting themselves on the back.

Asked whether they’d had time to celebrate last week’s Wembley success, Kevin de Bruyne smiled: “Not really. We just came back and prepared ourselves for West Ham and then we did the same for Bournemouth. It’s just the way it is.

“Also, when you win the Carabao Cup, it’s in the middle of February. So to really celebrate when you have three months left of the ­season is difficult.”

Especially with Liverpool making this a title race to equal any of the battles we’ve had since the inception of the Premier League.

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De Bruyne and England defender John Stones limped out of Saturday's contest either side of half-time – with ­Fernandinho already out – to ­underline the toll the champions’ ­marathon is taking.

Boss Guardiola said afterwards that De Bruyne will be out “for a while”.

The Belgium playmaker, however, was more ­optimistic - insisting he had come off as a precaution.

“I felt it in my hammy,” he said. “I felt a little bit tight at the end of the half. I did one action with the pass and I didn’t feel too comfortable, so I just took myself out. It’s better not to take a risk.

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De Bruyne's injury-plagued season continued as he was forced off early in the second half... (Image: AFP/Getty)

...City will now wait to hear the extent of the problem, though he played it down (Image: PA Wire)

“I came back and I needed some time because I’ve been out for six months. But the last two months I’ve ­almost played every game and I’ve felt fine. Now, I’ve felt a little bit but we’ve had a tough 10 days with four games.

“Maybe it’s that. But we have some injuries and I don’t think it’s too bad.”

Despite the setback, De Bruyne was the first to congratulate the men who finished the job without him at the final whistle.

“I felt we played brilliantly,” he said.

“Bournemouth were here just to keep the nil and so to attack the way we had to for 90 minutes was so tough. Every game is now like a cup final.”